The One
by xymox
Summary: Lauren left Bo and the gang a year ago, trying to put her life back together after another broken heart. But then Bo falls ill and Lauren returns to try and save her. Will she be able to? And if she does, what will that mean for her and the new life she had built?
1. Chapter 1

"Hello Lauren," Hale's voice sang over the phone as he heard the doctor answer. "You are a hard woman to track down! How is everything?"

"Hale? Sorry, I mean Ash. Uh good, everything is good. It's good to hear from you," Lauren replied, surprised to be hearing from her friend after almost a year away and silently cringing at herself for stumbling over her words. Though she and Hale had been friends for many years, he was the Ash now and Lauren sometimes needed to remind herself of that.

Lauren heard Hale chuckled softly over the phone. "Lauren, you can call me Hale. We have missed you, but I am glad everything is going well for you in the western territories. "

"Thank you. And how are things with you? I heard they finally dropped the 'interim' from your title and you are now THE Ash."

"Yeah yeah. Things are well. This job is not without its challenges, and I still have a lot to learn, but I am getting there," the Siren replied honestly.

Lauren smiled at the phone happy to hear Hale was doing well, but she wasn't very good at small talk, so an awkward moment of silence lingered between them. Hale was the first to speak and break the silence.

"So, about why I am calling... I am sorry to have to ask this of you, but we need your medical expertise. We have a patient who is dying, and our doctor's are clueless as to why or how to help. Since you are and always have been the best doctor the fae have had, I was hoping you might be willing to consult," Hale said over the phone.

"Of course, " Lauren said immediately, "you know I will help anyway that I can. If your doctor would just send the case files to me I can take a look."

"They are already in your email. But Lauren, I was hoping you would consider coming back for a short while to take over as lead on this case, for two reasons. The first being that our doctor's estimate the patient only has about a week left to live," Hale explained, his voice becoming very serious. He dreaded the next piece he needed to tell Lauren, and paused to get the courage.

"And the other reason?" Lauren queried, getting a nervous feeling in her stomach.

"The patient is Bo."

Lauren felt her heart clench and fear flood through her body at the words. She blinked and stared off into nowhere. "Bo?" was all she could get out, as she felt her heart rate start to quicken in panic.

"Lauren, I am sorry to have to tell you this, but yes, Bo is very sick and we don't know how to help her. You are our last, _her_ last chance," Hale said sadly. "But after everything that has happened, no one would think less of you if you didn't want to come, please believe that. "

Lauren kept blinking trying to get her brain cells to work again. _Bo was dying._ How could that be possible. She was so alive, so vibrant, so full of life. She couldn't be dying. But Hale wouldn't lie. Not about something like this. She had to try and help Bo. After everything that happened, all the hurt she had caused her, she still did not wish her ill. No, there was no way was she was going to let Bo die. No way.

"I will come Hale" she finally replied.

"Great," Hale said as he let out the breathe he was holding. He knew Lauren was Bo's only chance at this point, and he hoped that he was right in that she would find the cure for her sickness. "I will have a car at your place in an hour. Like I mentioned earlier, all of her files should be in your inbox. And Lauren, thank you. I know this isn't going to be easy for you, but thank you."

"You don't need to thank me Hale. Despite everything that has happened between Bo and I, I am still a doctor and I still care for her. Of course I would come," Lauren replied honestly.

"Yes, but I know it is a lot to ask. I will see you tomorrow Lauren. Oh, and Bo is not at the compound's medical facility. Since there was nothing more they could do, and Kenzi wanted her in some place comfortable, they gave the okay for her to go home," Hale explained. "The driver will take you there tomorrow."

"Ok. See you tomorrow then," Lauren said and hung up. Every possible emotion was swirling around her right now, and she collapsed on her couch, overcome with them all.

_Bo was dying._

She had left almost a year ago, and still even the sound of her name brought a shiver to her body. She wanted to hate her, but as much as she tried, she couldn't. The hurt was still there though. The pain she went through, watching her choose Dyson again. Some days she blamed herself, for loving too easily, for being too careless with her heart, especially with a succubus. She should have known better. But being with Bo was indescribable, and she had thrown all logic and common sense out the window and loved her completely. And look where it got her, a broken mess. But that was a year ago. She had gathered up the courage and asked Hale for a transfer, to which he reluctantly agreed, seeing the pain in her eyes. She had moved to the western territories and became their doctor. She was so well known among the fae, both for curing the fae fever and helping to kill the Garuda, that she was quickly welcomed here. She had a new life and she was content. It was different than when she and Bo were together, but she knew now that was too good to be true, and her expectations were lower, more realistic. She was happy she kept telling herself.

Finally tearing herself from her own thoughts, she got off the couch and went to her laptop, downloading the email from Hale on to a flash drive so she could read it in the car. She then went up to her bedroom to pack for what she knew would be a life changing trip.

_Bo was dying._

Fuck.


	2. Chapter 2

_One reviewer asked about time frame...this is set sometime after the Garuda but before Hecuba._

_Enjoy! _

* * *

Hale's driver had picked her up an hour after he called, and driven her the 6 hour journey back to Toronto. She had read and re-read all of the files on Bo's case she had been sent, and she had to admit to herself she had no clue what was wrong with Bo. The doctor that replaced her, Dr. Bromin, was an excellent doctor and had run all the same tests Lauren would have. Nothing showed up on any of them – not blood tests, tox screens, DNA analysis, nothing. From the case notes, she gathered that at some point about 2 months ago, Bo had simply stopped feeding. Not because she wanted to, but because she couldn't. They had tried everything to get her to feed, including putting her in some very graphic sexual situations Lauren was surprised the doctor's would even agree too. She wondered how many of them had been Kenzi's idea actually.

But none of them worked. As time moved on and she couldn't feed, she just got weaker and weaker, to the point where she was now – barely conscious and hanging on by a thread. It was quite a miracle she was alive at all, thought Lauren, as an average succubus could only last about a month without feeding before they died. The fact that it had been almost two for Bo said a lot about her strength and blood line.

As the driver approached Bo and Kenzi's abandoned neighborhood, Lauren felt butterflies in her stomach. It had been a long time since she had been here, and she didn't know what type of greeting she would get. Kenzi was never her biggest fan, but she respected her doctoring skills, and would be worried sick about Bo and would hopefully not give her a hard time. She really didn't want to see Dyson, but knew she would have no choice since they were together. At least she knew he loved her...it wasn't her that got to do that, and it hurt, but at least Bo was happy she kept telling herself. Trick was always cordial to her, and always respected her, and she genuinely looked forward to seeing him again.

"We're here doctor," came the voice of the driver as the pulled up in front of the clubhouse.

"Thank you," Lauren replied as she steeled herself for this, and headed out the door.

XXX

Lauren knocked lightly when she got to the Crack Shack, and was not surprised when there was no answer. Pushing the door open, she moved quickly in to the main living room and placed her bags just inside on the floor. Looking around, she was also not surprised to see that nothing had changed. The stolen furniture and decorations were just as she remembered. Even the sight of Kenzi asleep on the couch felt normal – how many days had she come over and found the tiny goth passed out drunk on the couch? She smiled at the memory, but also felt herself get a little sad. She had been gone a year and life here had moved on without her, as if she never existed. She knew she was throwing herself a pity party, but what was she expecting? Framed pictures of herself and Bo everywhere? She sighed deeply and shook her head to clear the bitter thoughts from her head. She thought she had done such a good job distancing herself from Bo and the memories of her, but now she knew that the truth was that she had just ignored everything, tucked it under a rug in her brain, assuming that it would stay there since she would never see Bo again. In hindsight, avoidance was not the greatest idea, but here she was and she would just need to deal with the painful memories as they happened.

Resolving herself, she decided she needed to see Bo first, to confirm everything that was in her medical file for herself. It wasn't that she didn't trust the other doctor, she just knew Bo's body better than anyone, and needed the facts herself. So stepping quietly past the sleeping Kenzi, she made her way up the stairs to confront her past and make sure there was a future for the woman she loved, even if she no longer loved her back.

XXX

Lauren pushed open the door to Bo's bedroom and made her way inside, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dim lighting. She moved over to the bed, and let out a gasp as she looked down at Bo. She was thin, she had lost most of her muscle, and her face was gaunt. Her skin had an unhealthy bluish grey tint to it, and her eyes were sunken and ringed with deep dark blue circles. Her breathing was shallow and slightly uneven. Lauren's hand unconsciously went to her lips as she had to stop herself from crying at the sight. "Oh Bo," she whispered, "what have you gotten yourself in to now?"

There was a chair near the bed and she sat down in it, worried that the emotions swirling around her right now might make her knees buckle. She continued to stare at Bo, not quite believing how very sick she was. Sure, she had read the case files, but she was a doctor, she read case files all the time and was able to think through the details without picturing the patients. To sit here and see Bo, the woman she had loved so very deeply, be so sick, broke her heart. Unable to contain her emotions, she quickly rose from the chair and left the room...she needed a few minutes to process everything and knew she was going to cry. Not wanting Bo to sense that, even if she was unconscious, she made her way downstairs. Thankfully the living room was empty – she didn't know where Kenzi had gone, but she was grateful for the reprieve and sunk down in to the couch.

No sooner had she sat down that the tears came. Tears for all the fond memories she had of her time with Bo, and tears for the broken heart she left town with. And despite the fact that Bo had hurt her more deeply than she wanted to admit, she cried tears because she still loved her, probably would always love her and seeing her like this tore up her heart more than her choosing Dyson ever could have.

She sat in the quiet room, crying softly for several minutes before she was able to reign in her emotions and try to regain her composure. She hadn't even noticed that Kenzi had come in to the room. She looked at Lauren and moved to sit down next to her, putting her arm around her in a comforting move.

"It's okay Doc, let it out. I have cried more in the past month then I have in my entire life," Kenzi said softly. "I know it took a lot for you to come back here, and I want you to know how thankful we are, even if you can't help."

Lauren looked at Kenzi through her tear-stained eyes. She looked older and more mature than when she had left, probably due to caring for Bo for these past two months. Kenzi was the most loyal person Lauren knew, and Bo was lucky to have her in her life.

"Of course I would help Kenzi. Bo may be with Dyson now, but I will always be there for her any way that I can." Lauren stated, wanting Kenzi to know she was okay with everything, even if she really wasn't.

Kenzi looked at her sideways for a second, then stood abruptly. "So Doc, do you need anything? Hale promised to get whatever you wanted. "

Lauren shook her head. "Not yet anyway. Maybe once I am able to examine her. I did look through the files Hale sent. His doctor did a great job and ran everything I would have. And even some things I am not even sure are legal."

Kenzi gave a wry smile and shrugged. "We were desperate and tried everything. I even found another succubus to try and succubus her, but that didn't work either." Lauren smiled and shook her head at Kenzi's 'creativity'. Despite it being unorthodox, it was a great idea and she had to give her credit for thinking outside the box.

"We turned the old storage room into a guest room - you can use it while you are here. It isn't much, but it is a little bit of privacy."

"Thanks Kenzi. I am going to go put my stuff down and collect my thoughts, and then I will be up to examine Bo."

Kenzi nodded and Lauren picked up her overnight bag and headed to the guest room. She knew where it was, but had never been in it as it was were Bo and Kenzi used to keep the random assortment of things they came across in their travels. Moving in to the room, she glanced around at the simple furnishings – a bed, nightstand with a lamp and a dresser. None of it matched, and she guessed that it was all either stolen or found abandoned somewhere.

Sitting down on the bed after placing her bag on the floor, she buried her head in her hands and let out a loud sigh, trying to give herself the strength to go upstairs and examine Bo. It hurt so much to see her like that. After all the heartache Bo caused her, she knew she was lying when she kept telling herself she didn't love Bo anymore. She did. Despite the heartache, despite the year long separation, despite the fact that she had a very loving girlfriend now.

Shit.

Girlfriend.

Lauren was in such a shock and panic and focused only on Bo that she realized she didn't even let her girlfriend know she was leaving town. Shit. Wow, she was a shitty girlfriend. Running off to help an ex without even thinking to leave a note or send a text.

Reaching down in to her bag, she grabbed her phone and shot off a quick text, hoping to make it sound casual so she wouldn't become alarmed. _Hey babe, emergency case for the Ash. Will be out of town for a few days. Will call when I can. Lo_

Closing the phone, she threw it back in her bag and flopped down on the bed. Karyn was a fairy she had met shortly after she had moved out of Toronto. She was very beautiful and had pursued Lauren as soon as they met. Initially Lauren resisted, she really didn't want another relationship with a fae, but her perseverance and Lauren's loneliness eventually wore her down. Being a fairy she didn't need to feed off humans to survive, which was a huge plus. And she was beautiful, smart and totally into Lauren. Lauren enjoyed their relationship and liked Karyn a lot, but it wasn't what she had with Bo. Lauren had told Karyn about Bo and their history, and she seemed jealous of it, so Lauren was careful not to mention Bo around her after that. Which worked out fine anyway, since just the sound of her name still brought back tons of memories, both good and bad. Sometimes she wondered if she was being fair to Karyn, not being able to love her as fully as she deserved because such a large portion of her heart was still in love with Bo. But she kept on because she hoped that someday she could let go and love someone as strongly as she had Bo.

Finally groaning at her own misery, Lauren got up and headed up the stairs to try and save the woman she loved so someone else could love her.


	3. Chapter 3

Examining a sick Bo was the worst thing Lauren ever had to do in her life. Bo was the most beautiful creature Lauren had ever seen, and to see her a shell of herself broke her heart in to a million pieces. She almost didn't make it through the exam, she had to stop several times to regain her composure and not burst in to tears. Everything about her was pale and sickly. She had lost at least 40 pounds and her eyes, those beautiful sparkling eyes she loved to get lost in, were dull and lifeless.

Lauren spent about 45 minutes up in Bo's room before finishing and heading downstairs to sit on the couch and process what she found. Which took all of 30 seconds since she found nothing. There did not appear to be anything physically wrong with Bo that was not caused by her lack of feeding. She had scoured every inch of her body for something, anything – it was a body she knew so well and she knew she would know if something was amiss, but there was nothing.

She was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of a door slamming and she looked up just as Dyson strode in to the room. He looked exactly the same as she remembered him, right down to the condescending smirk she was pretty sure he reserved only for her. His eyes narrowed as he took her in, he was clearly surprised to see her. "Hello Lauren, didn't expect to see you here. Guess they finally stopped listening to Bo and called in the genius human doctor. Are you here to save the day?"

Lauren blinked at Dyson, her hurt and anger boiling to the surface. She was already an emotional mess and she knew he was just trying to push her buttons. Hauling off and punching him wouldn't help Bo, and would probably break her hand, so she did what she was so good at and shoved all her emotions down in to the dark places and made sure to lock the door shut behind them.

"Hello Dyson, you know I am just here to try and help Bo."

Dyson chuckled. "And what do you think you could do that all of the Light Fae doctor's couldn't?"

Lauren looked down at her hands. Though she knew Dyson had a point, she believed that she knew the succubus better than anyone, and that her feelings for her would not let her stop until she figured out what was wrong with Bo. She would fight for her life with everything she had, even if it meant sacrificing her own. Of course, there is no way she would ever let Dyson know any of this. It was bad enough that he got to love the woman she craved, there was no way he was going to get the satisfaction of knowing how much that hurt her.

Luckily she was saved from having to formulate a response as Kenzi walked in to the room, stopping in her tracks as she saw the two of them – Dyson standing smugly with his arms crossed looking down at Lauren, who sat on the couch with her head down. "Dyson," she muttered as she walked over a shoved him away from the couch. "Stop being an ass."

"What? " He looked at Kenzi with fake innocence. "I was just saying hello to Doctor Lewis and asking her how she was planning on miraculously saving Bo, when no fae doctor was able to."

"Don't pull that fae superiority shit now, dog breath. Lauren is here to help, and right now Bo needs all that she can get."

Dyson sighed deeply and nodded. Despite his dislike of the doctor, he knew Kenzi was right. "I am going to go upstairs and see her. Lauren," he said as the turned to her, "we all would be thankful for anything you can do to help Bo."

Lauren knew he was being sincere, so she nodded her understanding. Needing to get out of the suddenly too small room, she excused herself and headed back to the guest room, hoping to compose herself and shake off the insecurities Dyson always did such a good job of bringing to the surface.

XXX

Kenzi had been making coffee in the kitchen when Lauren had come back to the living room, making sure Dyson had already left, and now she moved to sit next to Lauren on the couch as she handed her a steaming mug. Lauren took it gladly, the warmth helping to offset the chill in her bones that this whole case had caused her.

"Any luck Doc?" Kenzi asked hopefully.

Lauren shook her head, tears starting to form. "Nothing Kenzi. It makes no sense. But don't worry, I am not done trying." And then whispering to herself as much as Kenzi, "I am not going to let her die."

Kenzi nodded and looked at Lauren for a few minutes, clearly debating internally about something. Finally making up her mind, she looked up again at Lauren. "Doc, I know Bo hurt you when she chose Dyson again, and I know why you left, heck I would have left too. I also know you have a life out there, and a girlfriend."

At that statement Lauren's eyes shot up and looked at Kenzi with surprise. Kenzi looked back and held up her hand. "Please let me finish." Lauren seemed a little uncomfortable, but nodded her head.

"Bo would kill me if she knew I was doing this, but I think you need to know, because if the worst does happen and she wasn't able to tell you herself, I think she would regret it."

Lauren looked at her curiously, but nodded softly for her to continue.

"You know Bo is like a child sometimes, especially when it comes to relationships. But you know how she is...always wants to help everyone. When Dyson got his love back, all she could think about was how he would go through his whole life alone without her, and she wanted to help him. She knew she was hurting you, but I don't think she really understood how much. And I know she didn't think about herself, about whether or not she actually wanted to be with Dyson, how that would make her feel. When you left, she was devastated. She and Dyson fought constantly and after a few months they broke up." Kenzi continued, watching the doctor closely for her reaction. So far, Lauren hadn't shown any, other than the stoicism she usually displayed when something was painful. Kenzi pressed on.

"I told her to go find you, to apologize for being an ass yet again, but she wouldn't. She said she was a horrible person for hurting you, and that you deserved better. But the thing that changed then is I think she realized she _wanted_ to be that better person that you deserved. So for the next six months she set about doing that – working on her control, how she fed, her interaction with others. She had so much self-loathing from her past, and she spent those months learning to love herself. She even saw some weird fae therapist who fed off of guilt. Then about two months ago, not long before she got sick, she convinced Hale to tell her where you were, and she went to see if there was anything left to salvage."

At this, Lauren's eyes got big and she whispered out "she came looking for me? I had no idea...I never saw her..."

"Yeah...she got there and waited outside your work, and when you came out, you were with another woman who Bo took to be your girlfriend since I guess you two were...uh...friendly."

"Karyn...Bo saw me with Karyn. Yes, she is my girlfriend." Lauren said, nodding her head.

"Yeah, so Bo saw you with her, and came home the next day. All she said, the day she came back, was that you looked happy and she wished you well. She never uttered another word about it. But she cried in her room for days."

Lauren was stunned. Bo had come looking for her to try and win her back. She had seen her with Karyn and didn't say anything. Lauren's heart was racing with the thought that Bo still loved her. And then her common sense kicked in. It didn't matter that she did, it still didn't change the fact that she was just a human. If it wasn't Dyson, it would have been another fae down the road, someone else who could give her everything she needed and who wasn't her. No, it was better that she didn't see Bo then, she would have run in to her arms and ended up heartbroken all over again, and she wasn't sure she would have survived it again.

"You okay Doc?" Kenzi asked, rousing her out of her thoughts.

"Oh yeah, I am fine. I just can't believe she came all that way and I never saw her."

Kenzi shrugged. "Bo carries so much guilt with her, and despite all the progress she has made, I think she was scared of you rejecting her, or worse, of her hurting you again, that she left."

"When did she stop feeding?" Lauren asked.

"When she finally came out of her room days later, I could tell she was hungry and she went to feed. Only, she couldn't. At first she didn't say anything to me, but after a few more days she couldn't hide it. She was irritable, weak and her eyes couldn't stop flashing blue. It took me two more days after that to convince her to go see one of Hale's doctors. And it all went downhill from there."

"Why didn't you call me sooner?"

Kenzi sighed, "Bo didn't want us to. She said you deserved to be happy and not dragged in to her shitty life again."

Lauren nodded, still processing everything Kenzi had just told her. "So that was why Dyson was surprised to see me and said it was against Bo's wishes."

"Yeah, plus I am sure he was happy to not have you here for his own selfish reasons, so he went along with Bo. Look doc, I know you and I haven't always gotten along great, but I can't deny what Bo feels for you or how much you still care, despite the fact that you don't want to. I am sorry I was such an ass before. I thought I knew what was best for Bo, and I was wrong. I am sorry."

Lauren looked at the small goth woman next to her with disbelief. Kenzi was apologizing?

"Don't look at me like that. If you utter a word of that apology to anyone, future anthropologists won't even be able to piece together your remains."

Lauren smiled, feeling a small sense of happiness come over her. She didn't need Kenzi's acceptance, but it still meant a lot to receive it. She nodded. "Don't worry, I doubt anyone would believe me anyway," she said as she grinned at the woman. Her happiness was short lived, however, as thoughts of Bo came back in to her mind and she slipped back in to doctor mode.

"So, back to Bo, she hasn't fed at all since she came back from trying to see me? Do you know if she fed while she was away? Or did she mention running into anyone while out there?" Lauren asked, her curiosity piqued. It could have been a coincidence that Bo stopped feeding at the same time she came looking for her, but she had learned long ago that there were very few coincidences in the fae world. Things usually happened for a reason.

Kenzi thought on it for a few minutes before replying. "I know she fed the day before she left, but she didn't mention feeding from or meeting anyone while she was out there. We didn't talk a lot about it, so it is possible, but I got the impression that she didn't talk to anyone while she was away."

Lauren sighed at the dead end this seemed to be.

"Trick thought she might have been cursed or hexed or something, but he went through all of his books and couldn't find anything." Kenzi said tentatively. She knew Lauren was sensitive about the subject because of what she had gone through with Nadia, but she needed to bring it up since it was their best guess right now.

Lauren nodded her head. "It is possible, but it wouldn't be good if that is the case, mostly because there are so many different ones out there and they are usually impossible to break. Usually," she smiled sadly at her past with Nadia. Not wanting to dwell on two ex's at the same time, she changed the subject.

"How is Trick? I miss him and the Dal!"

"He is fine, though a wreck because of what is happening to Bo. I think he has read through every one of the books in his library looking for something to help Bo. I never knew there were so many books about succubi and fae curses before."

Lauren chuckled. "And Trick has a relatively small library. You should see the one the Ash has."

"Oh, I've seen that one too. Trick spent two weeks in there looking at books not that long ago."

Lauren nodded. If Trick and she couldn't figure out what was wrong with Bo, then they were in trouble.

"He will be over this evening anyway. He heard you were coming and wants to see you."

"That will be nice. In the meantime, I think I am going to go take a nap. I haven't slept in like 36 hours and I want to be sharp and focused for Bo. I will see you in a bit Kenzi," Lauren said and headed in to the guest room.


	4. Chapter 4

Despite being completely exhausted, Lauren had a hard time sleeping. Her mind was racing with memories of Bo and running through dozens of scientific explanations of could be happening to her. Giving up after four hours, she sat up in bed and grabbed her phone, checking to see if Karyn had responded to her text. Seeing that she had, she unlocked the phone and read it. _Hey Lo, miss u and hope all okay, I have some vacation, want company? I can stay out of your way, promise. J_

Smiling at her girlfriend trying to be cute, but knowing that having Karyn here was a very bad idea, she texted back. _Miss u 2, but u don't have to come, u know me when focused on something, this one is kicking my ass._

Lauren rubbed her eyes with her hands, thinking about the last 48 hours of her life. She had finally gotten to a good place out west. She still loved her job, she had a faithful and attentive girlfriend, and the pain over losing Bo had subsided to a level that she could live with. Sure, she thought about her every day and every night before she fell asleep, but the thoughts didn't overwhelm her like they used to. The guilt she felt thinking about Bo when she had Karyn helped speed the process along too, though she wasn't sure it was the healthiest way to get over an ex. But that was before Hale's call came. All of a sudden it was like she had never left, all the bottled up and tamped down emotions came surging forward, leaving her overwhelmed and riding an emotional rollercoaster.

If by some miracle Bo woke up and wanted to be with her, would she take her back after everything? Or would she remember the heartbreak she had just lived through and go back to her new life?

Shaking her head, she willed herself to stop. She was getting way ahead of herself. Bo was still barely hanging on and they were no closer to figuring out how to save her. That needed to be her focus. Not the past she couldn't change or the future she couldn't predict.

Tossing the phone back in her bag and grabbed some clean clothes from her bag. Hopefully a hot shower would calm her mind like the sleep couldn't.

XXX

The hot shower did wonders for Lauren's tired limbs, but nothing to stop her already in overdrive brain. The more she thought about it, the more she was leaning towards Bo having been cursed by someone. After her experience with Nadia's curse and it being the whole reason she came to be enslaved to the light, she was a little sensitive to the subject. The thing holding her back from fully embracing the theory was the 'why' though. It didn't make sense to curse Bo only so she could die. There were so many easier and quicker ways to kill a fae, she didn't know why someone would go to the trouble of a curse as they usually cost a great deal of money and were very complicated and hard to secure. Since there had been no ransom or bribery requests, it seemed like murder was the only motive. And while starving a succubus was a long and drawn out way to get the desired result, it wasn't particularly painful since they were unconscious for most of it, which ruled out a lot of twisted bastards. Lauren knew Bo had a lot of enemies, both because she was the unaligned succubus and because of her line of work, so there would probably be no shortage of suspects. But again, why not just shoot her in an alley or set some underfae on her? It would be quicker and cheaper. Though with Bo, nothing was ever easy.

Finally dry and dressed from her shower, she headed back out the living room to talk to Kenzi and then spend some more time with Bo. She found Kenzi in her usual spot on the couch, playing her zombie hookers video game. "Hey Doc, did you sleep any?"

"Not really, but the shower was helpful. Can I ask you a question….did Bo have any new enemies lately, ones that would want her dead, but not want to do it quick and easy?"

"Aw Doc, Bo had a ton of enemies, but very few new ones. When you left, the 'new' Bo tried to be more reasonable in her approach to cases, she wasn't as suck chi first, ask questions later as she used to be."

"Well, it was worth a shot," Lauren said as she shook her head at the latest dead end. "I am just at a loss on this, and that is very frustrating for me, as you might imagine."

Kenzi nodded her understanding. "Trick called a few minutes ago and said he is on his way. Maybe your combined encyclopedic brains can come up with something."

"That would be nice. I am going to go back upstairs and spend some more time with Bo. Holler when he arrives and I will come down."

"Will do hot pants."

Lauren smiled at the silly nickname Kenzi had given her many years ago. When she first heard it, she was annoyed by it, but it slowly grew on her and now she felt it was a term of affection. Even though her relationship with Kenzi was sometimes rocky, she held nothing but fond feelings for the tiny Russian woman.

Grabbing her medical bag, she once again made the climb up to Bo's room. Her mind could not help but quickly flicker to the memories of when she used to make this journey for much different, much happier reasons. Succeeding in hardening her resolve, Lauren once again pushed in to Bo's room to try and solve the mystery of the Bo's sickness.

XXX

Bo was lying just as she had left her a few hours earlier. Not really having a plan, Lauren ran through the full exam again, hoping to catch some key thing she may have missed the first time. Again having no luck, she flopped down in the chair next to the bed, her hand going to rub the bridge of her nose to alleviate some of the tension she felt. "Damn it Bo, what the hell is wrong with you?" she asked aloud to no one in particular. Not having any luck reducing her stress, she leaned forward on her knees and stared at Bo, hoping inspiration would miraculously strike.

Despite the fact the she was pale and thin, Lauren could still see her natural beauty radiating from her. She sighed, as she knew that she would never find a woman as beautiful as Bo. Sure Karyn was attractive, but she didn't ooze the sex appeal like Bo. _Maybe that is a good thing_, Lauren thought ruefully. What was that lyric from the old song her parents used to listen to? If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty woman your wife. Lauren chuckled at the memory. Clearly whoever wrote that song had never met Bo.

Without really thinking, Lauren slipped out of the chair and sat in the bed near Bo's waist, taking her limp hand in hers and bringing it up to her cheek. Holding it gently, she brought it down to her lips and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. Watching her ex for any sign of movement, she gently set her hand down as she leaned over and whispered in her ear, "I miss you so much Bo, please fight this and wake up." And then as if it was the most natural thing ever, she leaned over and placed a light kiss on her lips, whispering, "there are so many people who love you and need you to get well."

Just as she was about to sit back up, Bo's hand shot out from her side and wrapped itself around Lauren's head, pulling her back down to her lips. Her eyes opened and were the brightest blue Lauren had ever seen. "Lauren….." came out of her, half as a moan and half as a whisper as she opened her mouth and kissed Lauren hard. Lauren was too shocked to do anything, even react, which didn't seem to matter as the kiss was over in two seconds as Bo pulled her head away and opened her mouth to feed. And unlike all her previous attempts in the past two months, she started pulling chi from Lauren in large draughts, moaning as the life saving elixir filled her body. But after about five seconds the flow stopped as Bo went limp and her body flopped back on to the bed.

Lauren remained motionless for a few seconds, her brain struggling to process what had happened to her in the last ten seconds. _Bo had fed from her._ She hadn't even had a second to process the kiss, when all of her brain cells shifted and focused on that one key fact. _Bo had fed from her. _ And holy shit if it wasn't the most amazing feeling she had ever experienced. She would need to process that later though, as she needed to get Bo to feed more. Though it seemed like she took a lot, she knew it wasn't nearly enough to make a dent in the healing process, especially since she was human and Bo had been starved for close to two months.

Leaning down, she pressed her lips to Bo's, hoping to get a reaction from her. Cupping her cheek, she tried to coax her ex to take some more chi. "Come on baby, wake up and take some more. You need to feed so you can wake up. Please Bo."

After a few minutes with no luck, she got off the bed and went to the door, hollering for Kenzi. The little goth sprinted up the stairs and burst in to the room. "What's going on Doc? Everything ok? She's not….." she blurted out in a panic, not stopping between questions for Lauren to actually answer any of them.

"Relax Kenzi, she is okay. She uh…she fed from me." Lauren stammered.

"What? Just now? As in, woke up and sucked your chi, fed from you?"

Lauren nodded. "She was exactly the same as before, and I was leaning over her. All of a sudden her eyes opened and she pulled me down, said my name, kissed me and then started to feed. It was just a little bit, a few seconds really, and then she fell unconscious again. It wasn't much, but it was something."

"Oh, Doc, that is huge. Do you think we can get her to wake up and take some more?"

Lauren shook her head. "I have been trying to for the past little while before I called you, but nothing. Besides…" she said as she drifted off, her eyes becoming sad.

"Besides what Lauren?"

Sighing, "I am just human Kenzi, I don't have enough chi to heal Bo from this. Even if I gave her everything I had, it still wouldn't be enough."

Kenzi sympathized with Lauren. She knew that if Bo needed it, she would give her life to save her. She suddenly felt a little guilty for all the crap she used to give Bo about Lauren. "Lauren, the fact that Bo took chi from you at all is incredible. You know how many people we tried to get her to feed from. If you can give her just enough to wake her up, maybe she can take it from there. I know it is hard, but you also know Bo wouldn't be able to live with herself if she hurt you, so please be careful."

Lauren nodded, her eyes welling with tears. It was just another reminder as to why it was better that she and Bo were no longer together. Bo deserved someone who could heal more than a few superficial scratches.

"I am going to check her vitals again, see if anything changed," she said to Kenzi, trying to get her brain onto a more productive track. Kenzi smiled, "okay. I think I heard Trick get here too, so I will go downstairs and let him know about the new development."

Kenzi looked down at Bo and up again at Lauren, before moving out of the room to head downstairs. She shook her head - the two of them really were clueless about how much they loved each other. Maybe if Bo miraculously wakes up, she thought, they could get their shit together and finally be happy.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey Trickster," Kenzi called out as she bounded down the stairs.

"Kenzi, you look happy today. Is there a new development with my granddaughter?" Trick asked hopefully.

"I think so. So Lauren showed up last night. As much as the two of us haven't really been best buds, it was good to see her. You know she would do anything for Bo, despite what happened between them."

Trick nodded, knowing this and not really sure how that impacted the fact that his granddaughter was dying in a bed upstairs. Still, he knew Kenzi well enough to know that she would get to the point as soon as she was ready.

Kenzi continued, oblivious to Trick's look of frustration. "And you know how much BoBo loves her, even if she did a really shitty job of showing her when she was here."

Trick nodded again. "Kenzi, all of this I know, but how does this effect Bo now?"

"Well, my dear Mr. Trickster, seems like even unconscious Bo knows who Lauren is, since she just woke up and fed from Lauren."

"WHAT?" Trick asked dumbfounded. It wasn't that he didn't understand what Kenzi had said, he just needed to say something to process the implications of her words.

"You heard me T-Man. Lauren was upstairs examining Bo when she woke up, said her name and pulled her down in to a kiss and some full on chi-sucking."

"Is she awake? Is Lauren okay? Did she survive the feed?"

"Slow down Trick. No, she isn't awake and yes, Lauren is fine. She said it only lasted about 5 seconds before Bo passed out unconscious again. She is a little freaked out, but going through another exam to see if anything has changed with Bo."

"Kenzi, even a 5 second feed from a succubus in Bo's state should have drained a human to the point where they would be unconscious, if not dead. You are sure she is fine?"

Kenzi's eyes got wide. "I spoke to her myself, she is totally fine. Well, physically at least. She is pretty freaked about Bo being sick, and I think she is berating herself for not being enough to heal Bo from this, if Bo needed her."

"This is momentous Kenzi," Trick muttered as he got up and began to pace around, rubbing the top of his head as he walked around. Kenzi watched carefully, not knowing what was going through his head, but feeling a sense of hope that he may be on to something that would help Bo.

Suddenly he turned and spun to her. "I need to get back to the Dal to do some research, and I need you to come with me."

"Um, okay, but can't you go on your own? I think I should stay here and help Lauren with Bo."

"No Kenzi, I need you to come with me, it is urgent!" he said in the voice that Kenzi knew was his Blood King voice and could not be argued with, so she went and grabbed her coat to head to the Dal with him. Once she was ready for the outside, she hollered up the stairs, "Yo Hot Pants, I am heading to the Dal with the Trickster to do some research, call me if you need anything. We should be back soon." Waiting to hear the distracted "ok" from upstairs, she looked down at her best friend's grandfather and trudged out behind him, wondering what crazy thing they were facing now.

XXX

"Trickster, slow down. Okay, we are here and we need to look up some shit in some of your dusty old books. Why couldn't Lauren help you with this? Why did you need to drag me here?" Kenzi whined.

"Kenzi, if I am correct in my assumption, Lauren needs to be with Bo right now. And trust me, if I am correct, neither one of us want to be in that house right now," Trick replied.

"What are you talking about T-Man? You think Bo is going to miraculously wake up again and sex up herself some Lauren for dinner? Even if she did, Lauren is human, unless you have forgotten, and Bo would kill her if she did a full feed off her in her current state. And you know how postal Bo would go if she ever hurt Lauren...she would rather let herself die," Kenzi said knowingly. She had seen Bo react to Lauren being hurt or in danger a few times already, and it wasn't pretty. For her to be the one to cause harm to Lauren...Kenzi shuddered to think of the meltdown Bo would have.

"You know what a soul mate is Kenzi?" Trick asked as he climbed down from a ladder holding a very large and very old book.

"Of course, I do," she replied.

"Well, the fae have several versions of things like soul mates, but there is one in particular I remember from when I was a child. Thousands of years ago, when the ancients walked among us, there was the concept of _saol amháin, _or one life. It was similar to what people now consider soul mates, the thought that two people could join together and form 'one life'. If two people thought they where _saol amháin, _one would ask to begin the quest. That person would essentially lose the power that sustained them, and only their true partner could provide their nourishment." Trick explained.

"Sadly, many fae who were just in love asked for the quest, and when they had not truly found their mate, they died. So many fae were lost, that laws were written so that only an Ancient could invoke the quest. As the Ancients died off, the ritual died with them. I have not heard of one being invoked in thousands of years." Trick finished.

Kenzi had listened with rapt attention, but still seemed dubious. "So, you think Bo invoked this quest and that Lauren is her mate? That makes no sense...why would Bo do that, especially when she hadn't spoken to Lauren in months," she asked. "Not to mention where she would have found an Ancient to begin the quest."

Trick rubbed his chin pensively, "I agree there are many questions to be answered, but the fact that Bo stopped feeding, and that Lauren was the only one able to get her to take even a bit of chi, points strongly in that direction."

"You fae are very strange. What exactly do people get out of this ritual? It seems like being able to only feed off of one person would put a huge cramp in their style..." Kenzi asked the obvious question.

"On the contrary Kenzi, it is one of the most fulfilling rites a fae can do. As you can imagine, fae get very lonely in their long life spans. Having someone to share it with is an amazing gift. And once the quest is complete, the person goes back to being able to feed as they did before, but the nourishment their mate can provide is far more exquisite and all they will physically need to sustain themselves."

"Kinda like the difference between the vodka in the plastic bottle and the top shelf stuff you always try to hide from me?" she queried.

Trick chuckled at the tiny goth's odd analogies, but nodded his head. "Yes, Kenzi, exactly like that."

"And what would this ritual do to Lauren?"

"At a basic level, it would give her the same life span as Bo and allow her to give her chi to Bo to feed. But as I mentioned, no one has done this ritual for thousands of years, and even then I doubt a human was ever involved. I really would have no idea as to the true extent of the changes."


	6. Chapter 6

Lauren sat on the couch, having come back downstairs after her latest examination of Bo. Her vitals had increased somewhat, but she was still unconscious. And Lauren was feeling strangely uncomfortable now that Trick and Kenzi had left suddenly. She felt different, but couldn't quite wrap her head around how. Maybe the whole Bo kiss and chi sucking had just unsettled her. It was the first time Bo had ever fed from her, and it was not at all what she had expected. The surge of arousal was, but not the consuming feeling of one-ness with Bo. It was like for that split second, she and Bo were the same person, their breaths coming and their hearts beating in unison. She could feel Bo's love for her, it penetrated to her core. And then it was over, all those feelings ripped away so suddenly it made Lauren whimper at the loss. Now sitting downstairs, with no Trick or Kenzi to act as a buffer, she couldn't help but keep glancing at the stairs, fighting the overwhelming urge to check on Bo again, to run upstairs and kiss her until she woke up and fed again. If she was honest with herself, she was afraid of what could happen if Bo tried to truly feed from her. She was only human, and could never be enough for Bo, especially with how sick she was. So they would both end up dead, her from being drained by Bo and Bo because she couldn't get the nourishment she needed from her.

Despite all of these thoughts, there was something in the back of her head telling her she had to go upstairs, that she was meant to be there. She fought it for as long as she could, but finally she broke. She was never one to let her fears rule her life. Taking a deep breath and pushing off the couch, she was suddenly desperate to see Bo again. She made her way up the stairs and slowly eased her way in to Bo's room. She was lying there the same as she had been before, though her breath did seem a little less erratic than it had been previously.

She moved over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, picking Bo's hand up and cradling it in her own. She sat like that for several minutes, just staring at their two hands entwined, marveling at how well they fit. She let her thoughts drift to the strange pull this woman had always had over her. Ever since that first day in the lab, she had been helpless to resist her. Sure the first time Bo had used her abilities on her, but what was her excuse for every time after that? And now, despite the fact that Bo had broken her heart, despite the fact that this last time was so bad that she literally had to run away, despite the fact that she had rebuilt her life and even had a loving girlfriend, despite all of that, here she was, willing to do whatever it took to save her life. And she knew in her heart she had no remorse about it.

Slowly her gaze wandered up to Bo's face, her eyes settling on her lips. She had an overwhelming urge to kiss Bo right then, an urge she wasn't able to fight. She leaned down slowly and gently brought her lips to Bo's.

When she made contact Bo stirred, moaning a little. Her eyes fluttered open and as soon as she saw Lauren they got very wide and she pulled back. "Lauren…..what are you doing here…. am I dead?"

Lauren smiled gently, shaking her head. "No Bo, you aren't dead. But you are very sick and you need to let me help you. You need to feed."

Bo looked at her with defeat. "I can't."

Lauren reached out to take Bo's hand in hers again, realizing she had no memory of the small bit she had fed from her just a short while ago. "Bo, you can. You can feed from me, you have to."

Bo shook her head determinedly and looked at her with sad and guilt-ridden eyes. "No Lauren, you need to let me go, just let me die. I will not hurt you again."

Tears started forming in Lauren's eyes at Bo's words. "Bo, nothing in this world would hurt me more than you dying."

"And if something happened to you because of me, I could not live with myself. Please Lauren, I have killed so many people, and I have hurt so many people, especially you. I just want you to be happy. I know you are happy in your new life. I don't deserve to live. Please, just let me go. "

A single tear escaped from Lauren's eye and she felt it as it slowly rolled down her cheek. Staring deep in to Bo's eyes, she shook her head slowly. "Never"

Not waiting for Bo to respond, she reached down and laced her hand behind Bo's head, pulling her in for a slow, searing kiss. Bo could do nothing but react, her instincts taking over immediately despite the fact that she was so weak. Lauren let her tongue glide over Bo's bottom lip, asking for more. Bo readily obliged, relishing in feeling Lauren's tongue dueling with hers, something she never thought she would get to experience again.

After a few seconds, Bo pulled back, her eyes still fearful. "Lauren," she whispered, "what are you doing?"

Lauren looked at her with wonder, suddenly feeling both the arousal and connection she had experienced before creeping back in to her body. But in addition to that, she felt a huge surge of energy coursing through her. She smiled down at her ex-lover and finally replied "I don't know. Just let me."

Bo recognized those words Lauren had spoken to her so long ago and it melted her heart. She had known there was some special connection between them since the moment she first laid eyes on the beautiful doctor. And as she was lying on her deathbed, she realized she had done nothing but fight it since that meeting. Sometimes it was because she thought she needed to protect her, from herself and the monster she was. Sometimes it was because she put other people and their needs before her own. But she had clarity in this moment, and knew that those were mostly excuses. The real reason was simply that she was scared. Scared of losing the one person who she loved beyond all sane reason. The one person who was always there for her, to love her, heal her and make her proud of who she was. She knew this was their last chance, her last chance, and she felt a sense of peace come over her as she made her decision.

Looking back up in to Lauren's eyes, she smiled gently and whispered "I love you Lauren, I trust you," letting Lauren know she was okay with whatever she was doing, that she trusted her, even if she was still afraid. Lauren smiled and moved forward to once again take Bo's lips in hers.

They kissed for what seemed like hours before Lauren could not take it anymore and reached down to start removing her clothes. Bo pulled back and watched her with awe in her eyes. When Lauren was naked, she slid in to bed with Bo and gasped at the feeling of their naked bodies touching so closely. Though Bo's eyes were holding in a steady state of blue, Lauren could tell she was still afraid and holding back. She reached down to gently cup her chin, directing her to make eye contact. "It's okay Bo, you need to feed."

Bo's eyes started to fill up with tears. "Lauren, I haven't been able to feed off of anyone in months. And if I was able to with you….I am so afraid of hurting you."

Lauren looked down, keeping her voice soft and gentle. "Bo, I need you to trust me. I am not 100% sure what is going on, but I know in my bones you won't hurt me. I trust you with my life; please have the same trust in me."

Bo nodded and gently pulled Lauren's lips to hers. She didn't know what Lauren was doing, why she would suddenly be able to feed now, when for the past two months she was slowly starving. But the fae world didn't make a lot of sense, and if Lauren believed she could feed, then she would trust the woman who owned her heart.

Bo pulled her mouth back ever so slightly, and despite the fear in her heart, she opened her mouth to feed. As soon as she did, the wispy strands of life giving chi began to flow from Lauren in to her starving body.

Bo's eyes got wide as she realized what was happening and she began to drink in Lauren's chi like the starving woman she was. She had never tasted her chi before, and her entire body shivered with the incredible taste of it. It was unlike any chi she had ever had. It was sweet and warm; it nourished, but it also brought her feelings of love and comfort and safety. It was healing not just her physical self, but her emotional one as well.

Draught after draught she swallowed, feeling her strength return with each inhalation. And through it all, she was hyperaware of Lauren hovering above her, watching as her aura grew brighter and brighter with each second that Bo took her chi. She knew Lauren wasn't tiring; rather it seemed like Lauren was getting stronger the more Bo took.

Lauren, for her part, was riding on a wave of ecstasy that filled every cell in her body. Her body was on fire, the desire running rampant and getting stronger the more Bo took. She didn't really know what to expect from a full succubus feed, but it wasn't this. She expected to feel drained, or tired, or weak, but instead she felt the opposite. She felt stronger and more alive than she had ever been in her life. She watched with awe as Bo continued to feed from her, as the paleness began to fade, her eyes became more vibrant and her muscle mass returned. When Lauren finally pulled away a few seconds later, she found herself staring into the mesmerizing blue eyes of a very healthy and indescribably beautiful succubus.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's note: So I goofed a bit in the last chapter and thanks to JCM for pointing it out. The last sentence should have been "When Lauren opened her eyes..." and not "When Bo..." Lauren **has** changed, as we will find out in a bit, but she isn't a succubus. Two succubi in a relationship just seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Or a porn flick. Not that there is anything wrong with that..._

* * *

Stunned, Lauren found herself slipping in to doctor mode, jumping off the bed to grab her medical bag and start checking Bo's vitals. Not really believing what she was seeing with her own eyes, she muttered out loud "this is not possible" over and over again as she took Bo's pulse and listened to her heart.

Bo was surprised that the doctor had left the bed, and none too pleased that she had left her in the 'condition' that she was. Her eyes followed every move Lauren made, holding steady in their blue state, her desire growing with each touch from the distracted woman. Finally not being able to take the torment any more, she reached out and grabbed Lauren's wrist, growling her name.

Lauren stopped what she was doing and turned her attention to the succubus, seeming to finally realize that she was naked and Bo was very, very turned on. She blushed deeply, her eyes going to the floor the way they tended to when she was embarrassed at her geek out. Bo smiled gently, pulling her closer. "Lauren, you know I love it when you geek out, but can you play doctor with me later? Right now, I need you," she said as her eyes shone with pure desire for her lover.

Lauren internally chided herself, forgetting that there were two pieces to a succubus' health, and Bo had only satisfied the chi part of it. Lauren could feel her sexual desire burning through her skin, the heat turning her insides molten. She briefly thought of her girlfriend, and that she was about to cheat on her, but honestly, she didn't think she could stop herself even if she wanted to, which she certainly didn't. The way Bo was looking at her now, she thought she might come before she even touched her.

Dropping her stethoscope on the floor, Lauren pounced on Bo, bringing their lips together in a deeply passionate kiss. Holding Bo's head in her hands, Lauren could only moan at the feeling of the soft lips against hers, lips she had dreamed of feeling again, but never thought she would get the chance to. Bo meanwhile, had reached out and grabbed her by the hips, pulling her back down on the bed to lie on top of her. The kiss went on and on, and finally both women needed to come up for air. Resting their foreheads together, both panting to catch their breath, they allowed their hands to take up the cause while their lips had stopped to rest. Slowly caressing each other, they set about to re-learn all the contours and sensitive spots they had forgotten over the past year. Wanting to savor the feeling, they both slowed down their movements, closing their eyes with the pleasure of being together again, of feeling each other so close.

It was wonderful, but it was also slow torture for Bo, whose succubus nature was demanding its release. Knowing she could not hold out much longer, Bo moaned out Lauren's name, causing the blonde to still her hands where they were exploring Bo's breasts and look in to Bo's eyes. "Please, Lauren. I need you…." she groaned out, as she arched her hips up into Lauren, trying to convey what she really wanted from her doctor. Lauren saw the look in Bo's eye and quickly got the hint, shifting slightly to place her thigh between Bo's legs. Immediately feeling how wet Bo was for her, Lauren let out her own soft moan, replacing her hands that were at Bo's breasts with her mouth. As she slid down the brunette's body, Bo writhed underneath her, reveling in the feel of the blonde's mouth on her breasts. No one could make her feel like Lauren did, no one ever touched her like Lauren. One touch from her was all it took to ignite the passion of her succubus, and that same touch was all that was needed to tame her.

As Lauren continued her assault on Bo's breasts, she allowed her hands to travel down her well toned stomach, trace around her hips, before moving them slightly apart so she could feel the wetness directly. "Oh Bo, you are so wet. So wet for me." Bo only nodded, shifting her weight to get more friction to satisfy the ache inside of her. Lauren moved her fingers around slowly, reveling in the knowledge that she was the one that brought Bo to this state, and that she was the one whose name she was going to call out screaming as she came.

Sensing Bo's building need and not wanting to bring any more pain to the woman she loved, she quickly slipped two fingers in to Bo's waiting center, her own sexual nature mewling at how right it felt to be inside her lover again. Setting a quick pace, she pumped her fingers in and out of Bo, making sure her thumb hit Bo's most sensitive spot after each thrust. Bo moved her hips in time with Lauren's hand, pushing as hard as she could to have Lauren as deep inside of her as she could possibly be. Lauren felt herself pushed towards the edge just from watching and feeling the pleasure spread through her lover. Just as she was about to cum, Bo pushed her thigh up between Lauren's legs, the contact being all the blonde needed to push her over that precipice. Both women came at the same time, screaming out the others name, bodies trembling and sweat dripping between the two of them. Lauren collapsed on top of Bo, her arm no longer having the strength to keep her up. Bo immediately wrapped her arms around her, pulling her in close and burying her head in the soft spot between her neck and shoulder, as they both fought to regain their breath.

Feeling like she was crushing Bo, Lauren finally slid off the succubus and curled up in to her side. She looked up, seeing Bo's beautiful brown eyes smiling back at her. Not able to help herself, she reached her hand up, cupping Bo's chin, letting out a whisper that was more a reverence, "you're alive."

Bo smiled back at her, the dimple she loved so much making an appearance. "Thanks to you. I have no idea what happened or how I ended up here, but I never want to leave this spot, holding you curled up in my arms."

XXX

Lauren slowly made her way back to the guest room, leaving Bo sleeping soundly in her bed upstairs. It took every ounce of her strength to leave the room, wanting nothing more than to lose herself in Bo forever. Glancing at the clock, she realized she and Bo had been 'reuniting' for close to six hours. She couldn't help the grin that crossed her face at those memories. God how she missed that woman.

But at the same time, her doctor's mind was screaming at her for answers to questions she knew she didn't have. How was she still alive? She was human and shouldn't be able to survive a full feed from a healthy succubus, let alone one that was starved. How was Bo alive? How could she possibly have gotten enough chi from a human to heal her that much? And most importantly, what did this mean…to her, to Bo, to Karyn?

Moving into the room, she unconsciously grabbed her cell phone to check for messages. Not surprisingly, there were several from Karyn.

_Don't focus too much. You know what they say about all work and no play….:-)_

_Hey Lo, just checking to make sure you are doing okay. Give me a call when you have a minute._

_Getting worried here….call me, I miss you!_

Lauren sighed and looked at the clock. The last message was sent 8 hours ago. Not wanting her to worry, she quickly sent a text: _Sorry, have been busy. Everything is okay. Will call soon. _She knew Karyn would want something flirtier, but in light of what had just happened, she didn't really think that was appropriate.

Sitting down on the bed, she leaned over and wrapped her hands around her head, rubbing at her temples. She was a cheater. She did something she never in a million years would have thought herself capable of, but she did it. She cheated on her girlfriend. And the most disturbing thought is that she didn't really feel guilty. Sure, she felt horrible that she was going to hurt Karyn, that she betrayed the trust she had in her. But she would be lying to herself if she said she wouldn't have done it all again.

Stripping off her clothes, she quickly got in to the shower and relished the feel of the warm water cascading over her body. She could feel the start of some mild soreness being to develop from her recent activities with Bo, and once again couldn't stop the huge grin from spreading across her face. They had made love for hours, slowly exploring each other as if it were their first time all over again. No one could compare to Bo in that department. She was a succubus, sure, but it was so much more than that. She could feel every emotion in every touch, every kiss. It really was indescribable. And as she started to rinse out her hair, she was brought back to the nagging list of questions she had. Why wasn't she exhausted and passed out in bed? It was near impossible for a human to keep up with a succubus, but Lauren not only did that, she gave Bo a run for her money as well. Honestly, she felt more alive and energized than she could ever remember. As she stepped out of the shower, she made a mental note to run some blood tests on herself, and maybe have a conversation with Trick.

Pulling on some clothes, she headed back out to the living room and was just about to find something to eat when there was a knock at the door. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should answer it. Politeness getting the best of her, she pulled the door open and looked out at the frowning face of her girlfriend Karyn.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hi Lauren," the woman gave her a half smile. "You don't seem too happy to see me?"

Lauren continued to stare, not knowing how to proceed. "Um, no, I am just surprised. What are you doing here?"

"I was worried. You weren't returning my texts and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Lauren smiled awkwardly, thanking the stars that she had just showered and wasn't covered in the smell of sex for her girlfriends sensitive fae nose to pick up. "Sorry, you know me when I get caught up in my science. I am fine, really, you didn't need to come." She tried to keep her voice light, though she was feeling anything but that right now.

"Well, I am here now. And Lauren, the Ash told me where I could find you and who you were helping, so you don't need to hide it from me."

Lauren turned red. "I wasn't trying to hide it, I swear. When Ha-, the Ash called, he already had a car on the way so I left quickly and I just haven't had down time since I have been here." It was a lie, but she didn't want to get into the deep stuff now, standing outside Bo's door.

"We can worry about that stuff later. So uh, can I come in?"

Lauren looked up at her, panic flashing through quickly before she was able to rein it back in and cover herself in her Doctor Lewis persona. "I don't think that is the best idea. Bo is very sick and I am not sure having her ex girlfriend's current girlfriend in the house is going to help anything. Are you staying somewhere nearby? I can meet you later tonight?"

Lauren knew Karyn was watching her reactions, trying to get a read on the situation. She knew Karyn was very jealous of her past relationship with Bo. With good reason, Lauren thought ruefully. Lauren did her best to keep her expression open so Karyn wouldn't press her anymore, and she must have done a good job since she finally relented. "You are probably right. Go do your doctoring, I am staying at the Royal York, room 337. Don't keep me waiting too long." And with that she leaned over and gave Lauren a brief, but anything but chaste kiss on the lips before sauntering away.

_Shit_, Lauren thought to herself. How the hell did she get in to such a mess? And how was she going to get out without hurting everyone she cared about?

XXX

After Karyn left, Lauren had a quick snack of some sugary cereal Kenzi had, and then went upstairs to check on Bo, finding her still sleeping peacefully. She couldn't help but watch for a few minutes, still in awe at how beautiful she was. She knew there were still a lot of questions to answer, not to mention the whole discussion on what, if anything, this all meant for them as a couple, but she couldn't help but feel more in love and more connected to Bo right now than she had ever been. She knew Bo was her soul mate, her one and only. The question was, did Bo feel the same way and was she willing to risk getting her heart broken again to find out.

Easing out of the room, she moved back downstairs, feeling pensive and sick to her stomach about Karyn. But also very happy and…..complete.

She had been downstairs for about half an hour when Kenzi came home. Kenzi saw her sitting on the couch and ran over to her, practically jumping in to her lap and screeching out "thank god you are still alive hot pants!" Lauren was shocked and slowly patted Kenzi on the back. "Um, thanks Kenzi? I am happy to be alive too?"

As quickly as she had launched herself on to Lauren, she leapt back off of her and moved in to the kitchen and started grabbing shot glasses and a bottle of vodka. "So, any change in our favorite succubus?"

Lauren nodded, not exactly sure how to broach the subject of what she and Bo had just done. As she pondered what would be a good lead-in, she was startled by the sound of breaking glass and looked over to see that Kenzi had just dropped the vodka bottle on the floor, sending glass and the clear liquid all over the kitchen. She stood in shock, her eyes wide and staring at the stairs. Lauren followed her gaze, though she knew before even looking what Kenzi was staring at. She could feel her presence thrumming in her body as she came closer. She slowly turned her head, her eyes locking with the beautiful brunette walking down the stairs. Wearing simple sleep pants and a black tank top, her hair damp from what must have been a recent shower; Lauren did not think she had ever seen a sight so captivating.

Kenzi had tears pouring down her face, causing some of her mascara to run. She ran over to Bo and buried her head in the woman's chest, hugging her so tightly Lauren was sure Bo grimaced. "You're alive," she managed to get out between sniffles. Bo wrapped her arms around Kenzi and held her tight, tears starting to fall from her as well. All Lauren could do was stand there and smile, for no one was happier than she that Bo was standing in the living room, radiantly beautiful and alive.

After a few minutes, Kenzi pushed herself off of Bo and gave her a solid punch in the arm, causing Bo to yelp in pain. "Ow, Kenzi, what the hell was that for?" she asked, rubbing her arm. For such a tiny little girl, she had packed a pretty powerful punch.

"That is for scaring the shit out of us for the past two months. Don't EVER do that again."

Bo smiled and grabbed Kenzi into another hug, whispering loud enough so everyone could hear, "I'm sorry. I would promise to never do it again, if I had any clue what I did."

Kenzi pulled back and looked between Bo and Lauren. "Let me guess, Lauren has the magical chi that saved your life?"

Bo smiled and let her gaze drift over to Lauren, who was just standing there, content to watch Kenzi welcome her best friend back. When their eyes met, it felt like electricity between them and she couldn't help her eyes flashing blue. "I guess she does, Kenzi."

Bo and Kenzi spent the next hour sitting on the couch catching up on what Bo had missed over the past two months. Lauren watched in awe of their relationship, jealous of how easy it was. Bo had been so close to death, and she knew that had deeply affected Kenzi, yet here they were an hour later laughing and gossiping like nothing at all had happened. She wished her relationship with Bo could be even a fraction as simple.

After a while she could feel Bo start to tire, and the brunette got up to take a nap. Even though Bo looked healthy, the doctor in her knew how much energy healing took from her, and that she would need to rest a fair amount for the next day or so. Before heading up the stairs she looked at Lauren hopefully, not really knowing how to proceed or what to say. They had so much to talk about, but that wasn't something they could do with Kenzi sprawled out on the couch. And honestly, right now, it wasn't talking she wanted to be doing with Lauren. Lauren knew what she was asking, and despite the fact that every cell in her body was screaming at her to follow Bo upstairs, she let her brain with the battle. Moving over to where Bo was standing at the foot of the stairs, she gave her a hug and spoke softly in her ear, "go rest now, we can talk when you have a bit more energy."

Bo looked at her sadly. That really wasn't the answer she wanted, but she also knew Lauren was scared and needed time to process everything, so she nodded. Lauren leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on her forehead before stepping away, the closeness to Bo starting to overwhelm her senses again. "Sleep good," she said.

Bo gave a soft smile before turning and heading up the stairs. Lauren stayed where she was, watching Bo as she made her way up and in to her room. She really didn't want to be down here, she really wanted to be back in bed with Bo, but she needed to figure out what the hell was going on and deal with her girlfriend. If she went upstairs now, she knew it would be another twelve hours before she made it back downstairs.

Kenzi, meanwhile, had been watching the interaction between the two women very closely. She was pretty sure she knew what had gone on while she was at Trick's, but she wanted confirmation. Without details of course. Those two always had such graphic details.

Lauren was startled out of her thoughts by Kenzi calling her name. "Huh? Sorry Kenzi, I was lost in my own world, what did you say?"

Kenzi grinned. "Did your own world have a naked succubus in it?"

Lauren blushed. "Kenzi, I thought you didn't like details."

"I don't, I just want to know how you managed to get Bo back to her bobaliciousness, when no light fae doctor or trampy hooker was able to."

Lauren frowned at Kenzi's words – she really didn't want to think about other people throwing themselves at Bo. It made her angry and she had to shake her head to focus on the question. "I don't know Kenzi. I mean, I know what happened, but I have no idea how or why."

"So you guys did the horizontal tango and she sucked your chi?"

"Basically, yes, in the reverse order."

"And she didn't kill you." It wasn't a question.

"Apparently not."

"Trick thinks he may know what is going on. He was checking some more dusty books and then he was going to come back here."

"And my girlfriend showed up."

"Wait, what? Your girlfriend showed up, as in here?"

"Yeah, not that long after Bo and I…..after she was healed."

"Holy shitballs. What did you tell her?"

"What was I supposed to tell her? Hi honey, thanks for checking up on me, but no worries I am great since I just had mind-blowing sex with my ex?"

Kenzi frowned. "Point taken. But seriously, what did you say to her?"

"I lied and told her Bo was very sick and I would catch up with her later tonight."

"Are you going to?"

"Do I have a choice? I can't just ignore her."

Kenzi looked at Lauren silently for a few minutes. The blonde seemed agitated, and Kenzi couldn't really blame her. One of the reasons she always had such a hard time connecting with her over the years was because of her cold demeanor and the fact that she was always so composed. But now, Kenzi could tell Lauren was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Do you love Bo?" Kenzi knew it was a simple question, but one with so many implications.

Tears started tracking down Lauren's cheeks as she nodded.

"She loves you too, you know. And they always say, love is all you need."

"We've had love before Kenzi, and it wasn't enough. Why would now be any different?" she muttered, suddenly becoming completely overwhelmed with everything and feeling her desire to run upstairs and be with Bo again getting stronger. Pushing those feelings aside, she grabbed her jacket and pushed towards the door. "I'm sorry Kenzi, I need to get some air." Without even waiting for Kenzi to respond, she was out the door into the cool evening air.

Kenzi sadly watched her go. She knew Lauren was freaked, so she could only hope Bo got a chance to talk to her before she went back to her girlfriend and out of their lives once again. She didn't know how Bo would survive Lauren leaving again.


	9. Chapter 9

Bo found Lauren sitting by herself in a booth at the little diner they would eat at whenever Kenzi was hungry and they didn't want to cook, which was most days. Bo could feel the swirl of emotions from the blonde – happiness, guilt, arousal , love and fear – all taking turns in her heart. She knew Lauren sensed her presence, so she slid in to the booth across from her with a simple and soft "hey" as a greeting.

Lauren had sensed Bo as soon as she came in to the diner, and looked up at her with puffy red eyes as soon as she sat down. Bo's heart wanted to break at the sight. "I woke up and you were gone. Kenzi didn't know where you went. I don't know how I did either…."

"I missed their apple pie," was all she could think to say. When Bo gave her a soft smile in return, her awkwardness took over and she began to ramble in her geeky way. "The pie here is better than most, since they use butter in the crust instead of shortening. The lower melting point of butter, combined with the high water content that acts as an emulsifier, gives a more pronounced gluten formation and prevents the crust from crumbling. But – "

Bo gently cut Lauren off by placing a hand on top of hers. "Lauren, you know I love your geek speak, but we need to talk." Lauren looked at her silently for a few seconds, before closing her eyes and letting out a shaky sigh. "Talk about what Bo? How you managed to consume enough chi from me, a human, to heal you from your deathbed? Or how I managed to give you enough chi to heal and not die? Or how we already tried this relationship thing once, and failed miserably? Or how I just cheated on my girlfriend, who is here by the way, and wants to see me tonight? Which one of these things do you want to talk about Bo?"

Bo was shocked by Lauren's directness, but glad that she was not backing down or running away. She wanted to be with Lauren, and at least if they were talking, she had hope. She shrugged. "All of them I guess."

Lauren gave an ironic laugh. "You know what the most frustrating thing is Bo? The thing that is driving me crazy? That despite how much you hurt me, despite how poorly our relationship went, despite the fact that I have a wonderful, loving, attentive and smoking hot girlfriend now, despite all that, I still love you. I am still in love with you and Karyn can't even hold a candle to that. I crave you so much, that I seriously think I have an addiction. And after last night, with all the questions I have and all the emotions running through me, I am scared Bo. Scared of what all this means and scared of having my heart broken again, because I don't think I could survive it this time."

Bo couldn't help but smile when she heard that Lauren was still in love with her. The year that she had been gone was the worst one of her life, her heart ached with regret for how she treated the doctor and she wanted nothing more than a second chance to prove to her that she could be all that she needed, all that she deserved. Now she had that chance and just had to be sure she didn't mess it up before it even began.

"Lauren," she started, her eyes locking with the blonde's and shining with love, "I know we have a lot to talk about. I came here to find you because some of that needs to be with Trick, as he thinks he knows what is going on and why you were able to heal me. But the rest of it, the 'us' part of it….I know I fucked up, I took you for granted and I was the world's worst girlfriend. When you left, I know it was the best thing for you – I was caught up in myself, Dyson getting his love back, being fae and going on cases and I didn't appreciate you or what we had. And though I knew in the back of my mind that I had just lost the most important thing in my life, I ignored it, thinking you would find happiness with someone more deserving than me, and I would eventually get over you. Except, there was no getting over you, because as I realized too late, you were my everything. My heart, my humanity, my love. I know Kenzi told you everything, but you need to know Lauren, that I love you with all that I am. I am still in love with you too, and no matter how hard it is, no matter what it takes, I want to be with you. I learned a lot over the past year, about myself and my place in this world, and I can promise you, that I will spend every minute of my life healing, nurturing and protecting your heart until my dying breath."

Lauren sat in awe of Bo's words. How many nights had she dreamed of Bo declaring her love for her, dreamed the Succubus still wanted her? She couldn't even count. And now, here they were, Bo saying all those words she needed to hear.

Bo, still being very insecure and afraid Lauren would reject her, took Lauren's silence as a bad omen. She started to play with her fingers looking down and afraid to make eye contact with the blonde. Lauren however, sensed her distress and reached across the table to take Bo's hands in hers.

"Bo. Thank you. I needed to hear those words from you. I needed to know how you feel, what it is you want. "

"I want you Lauren. I always have."

Lauren smiled, the one she reserved only for Bo and the brunette's heart melted at the sight. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too. And it is probably a good thing we are having this conversation at the diner, since if we were anywhere else I am not sure I would have been able to keep my hands to myself long enough to actually have it."

Lauren chuckled, and then her face turned serious. Looking into Bo's eyes, she spoke softly, almost a whisper. "It's different now, us. Isn't it? Can you feel it?"

Bo nodded, Lauren answering her unasked question about the emotional connection she felt with her. "I was always able to sense you – your aura always called out to me in a unique way – but this is different….it's like I can feel not just your presence, but your emotions as well."

"You said Trick thought he had some answers about what is going on? Should we go find him?"

"He was actually on his way to the crack shack. Though, you know him, all mysteries and half truths. I am not sure what to expect from him."

Lauren nodded, a grin now permanently etched on her face. "Well you better help me eat this pie then, so we can get out of here."

"Mmmm, after you made it sound so yummy with the emulsions and glutes."

"Emulsifiers and glutens," the doctor laughed as she broke a piece off and fed it to Bo across the table. Bo took it in her mouth and moaned at the taste. "Wow, that is some good pie."

Lauren smiled at her succubus, finally allowing her heart to hope that they would be able to work through their past issues and finally be happy together.

XXXX

When Lauren and Bo got back to the crack shack, Trick was there, waiting for them on the couch. Lauren watched as his eyes became watery, happy to see his granddaughter alive and healthy. Lauren had known Trick for 6 years now, and she didn't think she had ever seen him so emotional. After hugging for several minutes, the older man pulled back and tried to compose himself. He looked gently at Lauren, a warm smile on his face. "So I guess you were the one to make my granddaughter well again." Lauren nodded, still a little uncomfortable speaking to the Blood King knowing he was fully aware of how Bo's healing worked. Walking over to her, he wrapped her in a warm embrace. Lauren was shocked, her eyes catching Bo's who were also wide with amazement. Hugging the smaller man back, she kept Bo's gaze as she replied "you know I would do everything in my power to help Bo." Trick pulled back and looked at Lauren with interest for a few seconds before moving away. "I know Lauren, and that is one of the reasons I am here. I have a hypothesis as to what might have happened to Bo, and how you were able to feed her when no one else could."

Lauren looked between Bo and Trick, before Bo came and took Lauren's hand and led her to sit down on the couch. "Thank you Trick. I know I can speak for Lauren when I say we have a lot of questions we would like answered."

Trick nodded, but before he could begin his tale, they were interrupted by a very agitated wolf that had just burst in to the living room. The smell of alcohol was strong, and even though being a shifter raised his tolerance, it was clear that Dyson was drunk. "Bo," was all he said as he stared at Bo standing next to the couch near Lauren. "Dyson, hi," was all Bo could think to say. She had felt Lauren tense up at the sight of her ex, and she had to admit she was a little nervous about the fact that he was drunk and openly ogling her. She and Lauren were in a tenuous place still, and she didn't want Dyson to spook her.

"You're alive. Kenzi texted me, but I didn't believe her."

"Alive and kicking. Just about good as new," she smiled, hoping to keep it light and casual.

That hope went out the door when Dyson pulled her in to a tight hug. Immediately she felt a wave of jealousy roll through her, and she knew it was Lauren's emotions she was feeling. Trying to diffuse the situation before it went any further, she tried to break free of the embrace, but Dyson only held her tighter, and she could feel him inhaling her scent as he did so. The smell of alcohol, the pain and jealousy she was feeling from Lauren and her own repulsion at someone who wasn't Lauren acting so intimately with her caused her to react and more forcefully try to shove Dyson off of her. Unfortunately, this seemed to spur on Dyson more, as he let out a low growl and moved his face towards hers in an attempt to kiss her.

Bo wasn't sure exactly what happened next, but she suddenly found herself on the couch, out of the wolf's embrace. Looking up, she was shocked to see Lauren toe to toe with him, her eyes blazing blue. Dumbfounded, and oddly turned on, she watched as her lover reached out and grabbed Dyson's shirt, pulling the wolf's face closer to hers and whispering menacingly "if you touch her again, I will kill you."

Dyson stared at her, his eyes starting to yellow out at the threat. "What are you?" he growled.

"Her mate."

Bo, Kenzi and Trick all stared at Lauren in awe, watching as the shifter struggled to process her words. Finally it was Kenzi who spoke. "Lauren, Dyson is drunk and being an ass and I think he got your message, loud and clear. Can you let him go so he can go sleep it off?"

Lauren looked at Kenzi and back at Dyson. She really wanted to slam his face into a wall, but she knew Kenzi was right. Releasing her grip, she gave him a shove for good measure. Kenzi grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him to the door. "Dude, you need to go home and sober up. And don't try that shit with Bo anymore, because I really do think Lauren would kill you," she said as she pushed him out of the door and shut it behind her. Letting out a big sigh, she wondered ever so briefly how her life ended up where it was and why she was surrounded by so many crazies.

Walking back in to the room, she saw everyone exactly as she left them, which meant Lauren was in the middle of the room with flashing blue eyes, and Bo and Trick were staring at her.

"Lauren sweetie, are you okay?" Bo asked, finally finding her voice. Moving over to her lover, she was glad she did, because as soon as she got to her, Lauren's knees buckled as she fell to the floor, having just passed out. Luckily Bo was able to catch her before she fell, and quickly whisked her up the stairs to her bedroom.

Kenzi and Trick exchanged knowing looks. "Well, that would answer the question about what happens if the quest is fulfilled by a human," Trick said with a sigh before sitting down on the couch to await the return of his granddaughter and her possibly ex, human lover.


	10. Chapter 10

_A little shout out in this chapter to Rainbow Writers and their massively awesome and epic Heavenly Resonance!_

* * *

As soon as she got to her bedroom, Bo gently laid Lauren on the bed and moved in behind her, cradling her in her arms. She held her tight, rocking them gently back and forth, whispering soothing words in her ear. She somehow knew that Lauren was fine, that her collapsing was a symptom of her panic at realizing what she had just done along with the burst of energy she used to do it. Bo had to admit that she was a little freaked out that Lauren's eyes flashed blue like her own, though it also seemed natural, like this was the way Lauren was supposed to be. Lauren was right, something was different between them and they really needed to get downstairs to finish that talk with Trick.

She cursed Dyson in her head. The stupid wolf, who after 10 months still didn't get the hint. Actually, it wasn't even a hint anymore, it was a full blown cast-iron frying pan to the head at this point, and he still didn't get it. Choosing him over Lauren was really the worst decision she had ever made in her life. She loved him, but she knew she wasn't in love with him. She felt sorry for him was what it came down to. Though she never asked for his love, the fact that he had mated with her for life did make her feel guilt and she was weak in accepting his advances when he got his love back. That acceptance had driven Lauren to leave. The only bright spot was that losing Lauren finally brought her to her senses and allowed her to center herself, to shed some of the guilt she had been carrying and realize what it really was she wanted from her life, and who she wanted to spend it with. The whole almost dying from starvation thing still needed explaining, as did Lauren's new glowing eyes, but having her back in her arms gave Bo hope that she might be able to find the acceptance and love she had been craving her whole life.

Bo didn't know how long she had been sitting on the bed with Lauren, lost in her own thoughts, but eventually Lauren started to stir and Bo watched as her eyes began to flutter open. "Hey there," she said. "You're okay, your safe."

"Bo…what happened?" she whispered, looking around the room and surprised to find herself cuddled in Bo's arms in her bedroom.

Bo chuckled. "You went off on Dyson, protecting my honor." Then she became serious. "Your eyes flashed blue and you threatened to kill him if he touched me. Then you told him you were my mate, and collapsed as soon as Kenzi dragged his ass out."

Lauren listened, her eyes going wide when Bo recounted her telling Dyson she would kill him if he touched Bo again. She remembered it all, the jealousy, the rage, the power coursing through her veins. "I… I remember watching him touching you, trying to kiss you and the jealousy I was feeling just exploded and I had to make him stop. I don't think I even knew what I was doing until he was in front of me. I wasn't afraid, I felt strong and powerful, and I know I would have tried to kill him if he went to touch you again."

Bo smiled. "Jealous Lauren is so hot. Would it be wrong to tell you that watching you confront Dyson with flashing blue eyes totally turned me on?"

Lauren chuckled. "Coming from anyone else, yes, that would be wrong. But from you…..it's kinda romantic."

Bo looked straight at Lauren, her smile fading slightly. "I want to make sure you know Lauren – I am not in love with Dyson and I do not want to be with him. It's only you."

"I know Bo, but it is still nice to hear you say it. I think I am okay now, do you want to go downstairs and talk to Trick?"

"If you are sure you are okay, then yes. I think we both need some answers," Bo says as she eases off the bed and helps Lauren up. Taking her hand, they make their way downstairs to the man who hopefully has them.

xxx

Twenty minutes later, Trick had just finished explaining the quest to them. They sat on the couch, processing all the information with Kenzi, who was watching both women for any signs of a reaction. So far, they were both sitting quietly letting the words settle in.

Bo was surprisingly, the first to speak. "Thank you for that Trick. While I do agree much of it sounds like what has happened, there are still some very gaping holes, mainly that I don't know any ancients and I didn't ask for any quest to start."

Trick nodded his head. "Yes, I agree that part is most perplexing, but this was really the only thing I could find that would explain what happened. And Lauren's new found….talent, seems to solidify that it was some sort of bonding ritual."

"Bo Bo does get herself into things she has no idea what they are," Kenzi chuckled. "Perhaps you thought you were ordering a pizza but really were ordering up a mating ritual?"

Bo chuckled. "I would like to disagree with you Kenzi, but that is so true. Though I swear, I haven't met any new people or gotten in to any fights in months. I have no idea when I would have done this. And I am also not sure why it is called a quest. It's not like I had to best a labyrinth with mummies and drowners or anything."

Trick shrugged his shoulders. "It still may not be the explanation we are looking for, but right now it is the most obvious answer, the questions notwithstanding. As for the quest part, remember this ritual is thousands of years old. In those days, people lived hundreds of miles apart and just travelling from one house to the next was usually very dangerous. It is most likely a metaphor from those times." Slowly he stood from the couch and looked at his granddaughter and the woman curled up next to her. "I am going to head back to the Dal now and will continue to do some research. I think you all need to get some rest as it has been a very overwhelming few days."

Bo nodded as she got off the couch to hug her grandfather and walk him to the door. Once he was gone, she looked back at Kenzi and Lauren, both of whom seemed exhausted. "Why don't we all take a nap, and we can catch up later if anyone wants to?"

Kenzi got up and moved towards her room. "Just remember, you said nap, so I expect it to be quiet in the house. If I hear any moaning or banging, I am coming in."

"I thought you didn't want any more therapy Kenz?"

"I already need so much, what's another few weeks?" she said as she shut the door to her room.

Bo looked down at Lauren who was unusually quiet. "You okay sweetie?"

Lauren gave her a soft smile. "Yeah, I think a nap sounds fantastic. I think my outburst at Dyson took more out of me than I realized."

Bo reached out her hand to help the blonde up. "Well let's get you nestled up in bed then. I would love nothing more than to be your pillow for a few hours."

Lauren's smile broadened as she took the offered hand and let herself be led upstairs into the waiting arms of her lover.

xxx

Lauren sat on the edge of the bed, dreading the conversation. But she knew she had to have it, and the one with Karyn which would be much worse, if she wanted to truly move forward.

"Bo, I need to go meet Karyn," she said softly, fearing the succubus' reaction. Surprisingly, it was not jealousy or anger she was sensing from her right now, it was pain and fear.

"I know Lauren. I know you are not the type to be unfaithful and this is probably killing you. I am being selfish. I'm….I'm just afraid." She finally turned to look at Lauren who could see the fear and naked vulnerability in her lovers eyes.

"Afraid of what Bo? After all we have just been through, you must know how I feel about you."

"I do. It's just….." she trailed off, afraid of voicing her concerns out loud. Fear of vocalizing them and watching them become reality.

Lauren reached up and grabbed Bo's hand, guiding her to sit down on the bed next to her. "What are you afraid of Bo?"

Bo sighed and refused to meet Lauren's eyes, instead keeping them focused on the floor near her feet. She wore her heart on her sleeve, sure, but actually being an adult and talking about her emotions was so difficult. She knew she owed Lauren honesty if they were going to truly be together, so she pushed down her fear and spoke softly. "I am afraid you are going to see your girlfriend – see someone who has never hurt you, never taken you for granted, and think that we are a mistake."

Lauren felt her heart break at the raw emotions she felt coming from Bo right now. Reaching over to gently cup her chin in her hands, she moved her head so she could look in the brunette's eyes. "Bo, I have never once, despite everything that has happened, thought we were a mistake. We, you, were always a gift that I cherished when I had it, and mourned when I didn't. It was never a mistake. And I don't know what the future holds for either of us, but I know with absolute certainty that I want to find out. With you. Am I afraid too? Afraid that this won't work out and my heart will break again? Yes, but that fear is nothing compared to how I feel when I am with you, how you make me feel. I love you Bo, only you."

Bo smiled and Lauren could feel the energy in the room shift. She needed to remind herself that despite the fact that she was a succubus, or maybe because of it, Bo had not had many adult relationships and was often times insecure about her place in people's lives. It would be something they would work on, because if they were going to be together, Lauren never wanted Bo to question where she fit in her life.


End file.
